Standalone Northern and Southern Dynasties

Chapter 23 Nine Heavens Thunder and Fire
The three important officials in Yongning Temple also occupied the monks' quarters in the temple. Naturally, they could not leave Yongning Temple until the investigation was completed.

Mu Shaoyou, the Junior Supervisor of the Ministry of Works, was from a prominent family with the surname Jia. The surname Mu was also a Han surname changed by Emperor Xiaowen himself. Originally, he was from the Qiumuling clan, one of the eight Xianbei tribes, and was the leader of the eight Xianbei tribes except the royal family.

However, during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen, Mu Tai participated in the rebellion against Emperor Xiaowen's sinicization, and the Mu family was implicated from then on.

Mu Shaoyou was able to serve as the Junior Supervisor of the Ministry of Works, which made him one of the few central ministers in this generation of the Mu family. But now Mu Shaoyou is over 40 years old, and the Junior Supervisor of the Ministry of Works is not a noble position. This makes Mu Shaoyou, who has always wanted to revive the Mu family, very anxious.

After the servant who served him in washing and brushing his teeth left, the side door of the monastery opened, and a soldier was led into the monastery where Mu Shaoyou was temporarily staying.

If Su Ze were here, he would definitely recognize this soldier as Xi Ping, his superior when he was on duty at the palace wall.

When Cui Guang went to Yulin Guard with the imperial edict to recruit people, Xi Ping was also pulled to Yongning Temple for duty. Because Xi Ping was from the Xianbei ethnic group, he was arranged to guard the wooden pagoda of Yongning Temple.

"Your sister said you wanted to participate in the selection for the Qinghe Palace?"

Xi Ping knelt on the ground and said quickly: "My sister said that the young eunuch and His Royal Highness the Prince of Qinghe have a past, so I came to the young eunuch for help. Please help me!"

Mu Shaoyou couldn't help but feel moved when he thought of the charm of his new concubine. Looking at Xi Ping kneeling outside the yard in the night, he couldn't help but feel emotional.

At that time, the Xi surname was one of the eight Xianbei tribes. Before Emperor Xiaowen finalized the surnames, these Xianbei tribal warriors were superior to the Han people.

But after being sinicized, family background was used to determine one's origin, and tribal branches like Xi Ping were identified as having the surname Ding, gradually falling from the powerful class.

All of Xi Ping's sisters were to be sold into his family as concubines, but Xi Ping's greatest wish was to become an official guest of the Qinghe Palace.

I heard that the people of the Six Garrisons who stayed in Pingcheng were even more miserable. Some of the descendants of the Xianbei clans even had to sell themselves into slavery in order to survive.

But what does this have to do with Mu Shaoyou?

He collected his thoughts and continued, "Your affairs are just a matter of a word to this prisoner."

"Thank you, Young Supervisor! Thank you, Young Supervisor!"

"But now there is something I need you to do for me. I want you to climb the Yongning Temple Pagoda tonight."

"I am willing to die for the young supervisor!"

Mu Shaoyou's confidant brought a wooden barrel. Xi Ping looked at the dry straw soaked in sesame oil in the barrel and took a breath of cold air.

"The young supervisor wants me to set fire?"

Xi Ping's whole body began to tremble. He was a lieutenant in the Yulin Army, so of course he knew that this case was of great importance. The golden vase was overturned from the Yongning Temple Pagoda, and the Yongning Temple Pagoda was the key among the keys.

Xi Ping himself was ordered to guard the Yongning Temple Pagoda. If the Yongning Temple Pagoda caught fire, all the Yulin soldiers guarding it would be taken to the Tingwei Mansion for torture.

No, being able to enter the Palace of the Supreme Court is a sign of luck. If you were to enter the office of Bai Lu Cao, you might as well die!
Mu Shaoyou said, "Of course I couldn't let you set the fire. When the golden bottle fell over, it broke the iron chains. Now, these iron chains are all stored in the tower, right?"

Xi Ping, who had been stationed in the tower, nodded and said, "There is a golden bell tied to the iron chain, so we will put it all on the top of the tower and put it together with the fallen golden bottle, waiting for the master craftsman from the palace to repair it."

Mu Shaoyou said: "All you have to do is pour the oil into the top of the tower, and then you can leave." "Ah? That's it?"

Mu Shaoyou said: "As long as the matter is done, I will ensure that you are safe, and then I will recommend you to the Qinghe Palace."

Xi Ping now became bolder. Since he didn't need to set the fire himself, he could just spill the oil and appear in front of his colleagues without arousing suspicion. He could then become a guest of King Qinghe.

Xi Ping suddenly thought of Su Ze, the Han soldier who always stood out in the Yulin Army. It was said that Su Ze would also participate in the selection of soldiers to join the Qinghe Palace.

When he thought of this, Xi Ping strengthened his conviction and said, "Young Supervisor, I'll do it!"

After Xi Ping left with the oil barrel, Mu Shaoyou asked the man hiding in the shadows:
"I have asked someone to do it. Whether it can be accomplished depends on God's will."

The person in the shadow revealed his hair crown. In this Buddhist temple of Yongning Temple, there was a Taoist priest hiding.

The Taoist narrowed his eyes and said, "The Heavenly Master has predicted that there will be thunder in the sky in the second half of the night. I have a method to draw thunder into the tower. When the medicinal gold meets the thunder and fire from the Nine Heavens, it will naturally rise to the sky and earth and disappear into thin air. Then King Qinghe will be able to return to peace."

Mu Shaoyou looked at the Taoist priest and snorted coldly, saying, "If it weren't for the Heavenly Master Dao offering the 'Medicine Gold' technique, how could the King of Qinghe have suffered such a disaster? If this matter cannot be resolved cleanly, then the Heavenly Master Dao will also bear the crime of deceiving the saint!"

The Taoist simply said, "Disaster is a term used by the Hu sect. Yao Jin has already cured the illness of King Qinghe in the past. The young eunuch should know clearly what the current illness is. This is not something that Yao Jin can cure."

Mu Shaoyou shook his sleeves and said, "Playing tricks!"

At the same time, Su Ze saw his men Yang Zongjia and Fan Dalang sneaking out of the monastery, followed by two slim figures. Su Ze quickly recognized that they were Lu Zhu and the black-clad maid who had accompanied him to look for Li Nu today.

When he opened the map again, he only saw question marks moving with the team. Su Ze was even more certain that the maid in black was Princess Chenliu.

Looking again at the direction they were heading, it was towards the Yongning Temple Wooden Pagoda.

As expected, Princess Chenliu’s target was the wooden pagoda of Yongning Temple. It seemed that looking for the cat was just an excuse for Princess Chenliu, and climbing the pagoda was her purpose.

But why did Princess Chenliu climb the Yongxing Temple Wooden Pagoda? Could she really be related to the assassination of Empress Dowager Hu?
No, it should be irrelevant. Those who are truly related should stay put honestly instead of acting rashly and adding suspicion. Besides, Princess Chenliu is just a princess. How can she become an empress after assassinating Empress Dowager Hu?

Unable to understand Princess Chenliu's motives, Su Ze followed Princess Chenliu to the wooden pagoda of Yongxing Temple.

Sure enough, at night, the defenses around the wooden tower were relaxed a lot.

The night sky was not good today. The sky was covered with dark clouds, blocking out the moonlight and starlight. The air was humid and the low pressure made people feel stuffy. Su Ze also heard thunder in the distance. It looked like it was going to rain.

Because of the thunder just now, the guards on duty in the square in front of the wooden pagoda were looking for places to shelter from the rain. Princess Chenliu and her group actually found their way to the edge of the Yongning Temple Wooden Pagoda, and then they found a gap and sneaked into the wooden pagoda.

Just when Su Ze was about to enter the tower with them, he suddenly saw a sneaky figure carrying something and entering the Yongning Temple Wooden Pagoda from the door on the other side!

Su Ze thought of the golden question mark on the map, and then remembered that Su Bai was also on standby in the tower. He also had a secret passage map as a retreat, so he gritted his teeth and entered the Yongning Temple Wooden Pagoda.

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(End of this chapter)